Rock Your Socks

Ten years ago, an organization in France chose March 21 as an annual date to celebrate World Down Syndrome Day.  This date, being the 21st day of the 3rd month, was selected to signify the uniqueness of the triplication (trisomy) of the 21st chromosome which leads to Down Syndrome.  In 2012, the United Nations officially recognized World Down Syndrome Day and encouraged all members States to commemorate the occasion.

At this point, you might be wondering - "but, what is Down Syndrome and what are we celebrating"?

You probably have already seen people - both kids and adults - with Down Syndrome.

They share certain physical characteristics - flatter noses, almond shaped eyes, etc. - that make them recognizable.  Many people with Down Syndrome also experience learning difficulties and may have medical problems such as heart defects. These similarities are caused by chromosomes.

According to kidshealth.org:

Chromosomes are "thread-like structures within each cell and are made up of genes. Genes provide the information that determines everything about people, from hair color to whether they are girls or boys. Most people have 23 pairs of chromosomes, for a total of 46. But a baby with Down Syndrome has an extra chromosome (47 instead of 46). This extra genetic material causes problems with the way their bodies develop".

Therefore, Down Syndrome is not a disease that you can catch, but rather a condition that people are born with. While people with DS may share some physical characteristics with each other, they don't all look alike and more closely resemble their parents - just like you do! The  problems that many people with DS face are not insurmountable and with help from adults at an early age they can lead healthy, successful lives.

This is where you can play a part.  In the Woodbury community, here at our school, and maybe even in your own family there are people with Down Syndrome.

To celebrate these people and all the wonderful things about them that are unique and special, Evergreen Ave School will celebrate World Down Syndrome Day tomorrow March 20 (because March 21 is on Saturday!).  We are asking all students to wear their loudest, craziest, and most wild socks to school. Can't decide on which pair to wear?...don't choose, wear both!  We want you to wear your kooky socks to help advocate for the individual rights, inclusion, and respect for people with DS.

The classroom with the highest percentage of wacky socks will win a soft pretzel party!

I can't wait to see how you rock your socks tomorrow!  Please sound off below in the comment section with any questions about Down Syndrome or the people with this condition that you may have; I'd be happy to try and answer them for you.

The Power of Belief

For the majority of my life, I believed that people had certain innate talents.  If you were a really good baseball player or could sing well enough to be on American Idol, it meant that you were lucky to be born with those skills.  Kids who were prolific readers or who could compute numbers quickly and accurately in school were simply smart. Everyone seemed to be lumped into one of two categories - you either had the talent, or you didn't.  Sure you could practice at something and get better, but on a fundamental level you either were or were not.

This world view was great if you happen to be in the "good" category.  But, what if you weren't? What if your early experiences with something were not successful?  What if you failed at something? How did you react?

In elementary school, spelling was a "talent" I did not have.  Spelling tests and accurately spelling words while writing were always a challenge for me. I just assumed that I wasn't good at spelling and tried my best not to be put in positions where I had to do it all that often; rather than trying to get better, I avoided it altogether as best I could.

Much later in life, I came across the work of Dr. Carol Dweck and her research about how our brains function.  She explained how are brains are not static, or fixed, but how they can be changed and grow. She introduced me to the concept of having a Growth Mindset.  Much like a muscle, if we exercise our brains in specific ways and try to get better at the things we are not currently good at, our brains will actually grow!  More neurons - those are the cells in our brains that process and transmit information - will form inside our brains when we purposefully try to get better at things. In a sense, our brains actually get better when we work hard to improve.

Wow...

So, all of this time I spent thinking that people were born with a talent or not was wrong?  All of this time I spent thinking people were simply smart, athletic, musical, or even good SPELLERS was inaccurate?....YES, I was wrong!!!

The interesting thing is that most kids and adults still believe that everyone is born with a certain amount of talent, intelligence, or personality and one cannot increase this random gift of nature.  Here at Evergreen, each of you are different.  You know what it means to have a Growth Mindset.  You know that by working hard, learning from your failures, and believing in the power of "yet", you can grow your brains.  

However, outside of Evergreen you will still have to convince some of your friends, family members, and maybe even your parents that this is true.  To help you be persuasive, here is my challenge for you:

At Evergreen we have purposefully filled the school, your classrooms, and the lessons you learn with both visible and invisible messages of having a Growth Mindset.  Find them. List them in the comment section.  Make as many connections as you can between having a Growth Mindset and your experiences at Evergreen.  The student who finds the most and makes the best associations will be recognized by me publicly and will win a prize!

Open your eyes, look all around you and find all the ways your school is trying to teach you to believe that you can get better at anything by having a Growth Mindset, even spelling!